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Domestic Violence Unit

The Vancouver Police Department is actively involved in a coordinated community response against Domestic Violence that includes participation in the Clark County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Task Force and the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Fatality Review. The Vancouver Police Department has a newly expanded Domestic Violence unit which includes a Sergeant, three Detectives and Probation Officers.

For victims who are concerned about the pending release of an offender we invite you to visit the VINELINK website. VINELink is the online version of VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), the National Victim Notification Network. This service allows crime victims to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day. Victims and other concerned citizens can also register to be notified by phone, email or TTY device when an offender's custody status changes. Users can also register through their participating state or county toll-free number.

Domestic Violence Myths, Facts & Statistics

Myth: Battering is only a momentary loss of temper.

Fact: Battering is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. The batterer uses a series of behaviors, including acts of violence, intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, isolation, etc., to coerce and to control the other person. The violence may not happen often, but it may remain as a hidden and constant terrorizing factor.

Myth: There isn't any real violence going on in my relationship; my partner has never bruised me or hit me with a closed fist.

Fact: Any unwanted touching is a form of violence. Forced affection, pinches, slaps, shoves, and other unwanted physical contact are violent acts.

Myth: I can't say there is any real violence in this relationship because my partner has never been physically abusive.

Fact: Any behavior that is used to control another person can be considered as violent. Verbal, emotional, and mental abuse are forms of violence that are as harmful as physical violence--and the effects are usually longer lasting.

Myth: Domestic violence does not affect many people.

Facts:

In the U.S. a woman is beaten every 15 seconds and over 850,00 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner each year.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44 in the U.S.--more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined.

Men are also often the victims of domestic violence. There is a general assumption that men are the violent partners, but statistics indicate that violence against male partners occurs in both same-sex, and male/female relationships

Battered women are more likely to suffer miscarriages and to give birth to babies with low birth weights.

63% of the young men between the ages of 11 and 20 who are serving time for homicide have killed their mother's abuser.

Myth: The term "domestic violence" refers to wife beating.

Facts:

Because of this myth, many victims of domestic violence, especially men, are unwilling to report the abuse, believing they have no resources available to them. They may be isolated from friends and family, as well as embarrassed by a situation they feel they are responsible for themselves. Men are entitled to the same protections as women when they are assaulted, and deserve strong legal counsel who will fight for their rights, and work to protect them against abusive partners.

Safety alert: Computer use can be monitored and is impossible to completely clear. If you are afraid your internet and/or computer usage might be monitored, please use a safer computer, call your local hotline at the YWCA Safe Choice (360)-695-0501 , and/or call the Washington State Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-562-6025.